


All I Have to Do is Dream

by merelypassingtime



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Banter, Based on a Tumblr Post, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Podfic Available, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-12 08:37:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15336030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merelypassingtime/pseuds/merelypassingtime
Summary: Stephen is no stranger to Tony's nightmares. That doesn't mean it doesn't tear at his heart seeing the man he loves suffer or that he doesn't try to help.





	All I Have to Do is Dream

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Magic | Science](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/398505) by kukumomoart. 



Tony woke up, clucking his left arm and screaming.

At the foot of the bed Stephen’s faintly glowing astral body looked up sharply, dropping the book in its hands. “Tony! What-” he started before catching himself. He was no stranger to Tony’s nightmares, just as Tony was familiar with his.

Lowering his voice to a soothing rumble, Stephen started again, “Tony. Tony sweetheart, it’s okay. You’re fine.”

“No, I have to find them. They’re all lost,” Tony said, still holding his arm, tears running down his face. 

It broke Stephen’s heart. He reached a hand out automatically, wanting to comfort the weeping man, but stopped himself. Even if he could touch Tony with his astral hand he knew it would be a bad idea right now. Instead, he kept his voice comforting as he said, “And you did find us, baby. Everything worked out fine.”

Tony blink, a bit of the haze clearing from his eyes. “Stephen? What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong. You were having a nightmare, that’s all.” 

“Oh. Another one?”

“Yeah, it sounded bad.”

“Oh,” Tony said again, now looking embarrassed.

“It’s okay,” Stephen said, nodding towards his still sleeping body. “It’s not like you woke me or anything.”

“Reading something good were you?”

“Um, just doing research,” Stephen said quickly, looking pointedly away from the book still laying on the nightstand. “Boring old research. In ancient Sumerian.”

“Your innocent look needs a lot of work, Doc,” Tony said. Finally letting go of his arm, Tony leaned over to read the book’s title. “The Gay Kama Sutra? Really?”

Trying to sound dignified, Stephen sniffed, “There are all sorts of paths to enlightenment. I need to study them all.”

“And anytime you’d like to perform more intensive research on that branch, I’m there to help.”

“I’ll hold you to that. If you think you’re up to it.”

“I’ll make sure to stretch first. Though, I’m probably not good for it tonight,” Tony said, affecting a careless shrug. The effect was ruined by the tremors still running through him.

“No, not tonight,” Stephen agreed, trying to keep the mood light. “We’d need some candles, at least a gallon of medical grade lubrication, and some forceps.”

“Kinky bastard. You know what it does to me when you use medical terminology.”

“You should hear me recite the body’s major organs in Latin.”

Tony laughed a little, more of the tension leaving him as he did. “Oh, you’d better not be teasing me.”

“I never tease, as you’ll find out soon,” Stephen promised, his voice a low rumble, and Tony’s smile grew. 

Deciding he might be relaxed enough, Stephen asked tentatively, “If it’d be alright, I’d like to return to my body now. I’d like to hold you if you’d like.”

After a brief hesitation, Tony hedged, “You wouldn’t want to hold me right now, I’m all sweaty and gross.”

“It makes you smell manly. But, really; it’s okay if you’d prefer me not to.”

“No, it’s fine. I mean, it’d be nice if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Never,” Stephen said, quickly blinking out of the astral plane and opening his eyes to the now dark room.

Sitting up, his rested a hand lightly on Tony’s arm, unsurprised to find it cold and clammy. Shock, the doctor part of his brain supplied, the part that deeply loved the man next to him just ached. 

“The Infinity Gauntlet again?” Stephen asked gently, then could have kicked himself for his curiosity. He shouldn’t have mentioned it.

“I don’t know. Probably. All I remember is a jumble of desperation and fear.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It happens,” Tony said, clearly uncomfortable.

Right, Stephen thought, time for a distraction. “What month is it? November, right?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Tony answered, suspiciously. “Just barely, but it’s still November.”

“I couldn’t remember, and I wanted to show you a trick.”

“And this trick that can only be done in November?”

“Sorta,” Stephen answered cryptically. He reached over to grab the sling ring he kept in easy reach on his nightstand, just as Tony kept his emergency iron glove on his nightstand. 

Scooting back on the bed so he was leaning against the headboard, Stephen patted his chest invitingly. “Come here.” 

“Why? Is this part of your trick?”

No, Stephen thought, it’s a way to start warming you up. Outloud he said, “Just come here, you stubborn jackass.”

“So charming! Did you have to take a special class in med school to learn your bedside manner?” Tony sniped, but he did move back to half lean half sprawl against Stephen’s chest.

Slipping the ring on, Stephen wrapped his arms around Tony, then focused, creating a picture in his mind of a place he’d heard of but never visited. 

A small gateway appeared couple of feet above the bed. Soft sunlight shone through it and a wave of warm air, humid and laced with the smell of rich earth, rolled into the cool room. Concentrating harder, Stephen split the gate into two smaller gates, the second moving to hover above his other hand.

“Nice,” Tony said dryly. “You can cast two gates. Now you can travel to two places at once.”

“Or make someone fall forever.”

“What?”

“Nevermind. Just hush,” Stephen said as the first bright orange butterfly fluttered through the gate. It was followed quickly by several more.

“Oh!”

More butterflies filled the room as Stephen explained, “From October to March, the majority of the Monarch butterfly population here in the US migrages to one region of Mexico. They say they are so thick there that the flapping of their wings sounds like rain.”

“Which is why you needed to know the month.”

“Exactly.”

“They are beautiful,” Tony breathed out in a near whisper. 

For several minutes, the two of them sat in a comfortable silence as the sunlight and warmth drove away the last of Tony’s shudders. When one of the butterflies came to rest on Tony’s nose he whisper, his voice full of wonder, “Is this real, or am I still dreaming?”

“Feel the sunshine? Smell the breeze? No dream could have those. Of course this is real.”

“How can I ever be sure? Whenever I’m with you, everything feels like a dream,” Tony said.

Uncomfortable with the depth of emotion in Tony’s voice and the match weight it formed in his own chest, Stephen cleared his throat and answered with a bad joke. “Well, when you get to the part of the dream where you have to give a book report in front of the whole class naked, I’ll be happy to watch.”

“Jerk.” Tony replied, a smile in his voice. “You know what I meant.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I feel the same way about you too.”

Tony hummed a little unconvinced noise, so Stephen continued, “It’s true, whether you believe it or not.”

“If you say so.”

“Always. Now, do you think you’re ready to try sleeping again.”

“Probably not, but I’d be happy to lay down with you while you sleep.”

“Sounds good,” Stephen said starting to shift downwards on the bed in preparation for laying down. “Should I leave the gateways open?”

“If the light’s not going to bother you.”

“Nah, I’ll be fine.”

Tony moved to lie down on his back, and Stephen nestled against his side, head resting on his shoulder. With a jaw-cracking yawn Stephen said, “Help me get to sleep, tell me a boring story. Ooo, tell me about your day.”

“Ass. I’ll have you know my day was very exciting. First I had a meeting with the United Nations-”

“Mmm, a meeting. That’s the stuff, I feel sleepy already.”

Tony sighed in mock annoyance, then ruined it by kissing the top of Stephen’s head. “I love you, Doc.”

Stephen used the arm draped over Tony’s chest to squeeze him as he replied, “I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> Podfic available: https://soundcloud.com/meredith-allan/all-i-have-to-do-is-dream


End file.
